Light emitting element mounting



NOW 26, 1940 c. M. sLEssMAN Y 2,223,273

LIGHT EMITTING ELEMENT MOUNTING med Aug. 7, 193s C3. M. S/e sem am @M @mf WW Patented Nov. 26,

i UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE The invention relates generally to signsof the trafc marking or advertisement displaying types, and primarilyseeks to provide a novel, simply and economically constructed mountingfor the light emitting elements employed in such signs to dene thedisplay thereon.

In its more. detailed nature, the invention resides in the provisionof asleeve-like shell in one end of which a light emitting element such as areflecting lens of glass or other suitable material is secured and whichis insertable through and removable from a receiving aperture in amounting plate, said shell having apertures in portions of its deningwall and ter- 5 minating just inwardly of said plate, and a lockingmember confined within the shell and having spring fingers yieldablyprojected through said apertures for locking engagement at the innerface of said plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an element mounting of thenature stated in whichthe spring fingers include portions angularlydisposed with respect to the mounting plate so that the fingers will bedisplaced inwardly by the plate as the element is inserted into thereceiving aperture and will spring out into element locking `position asthey pass through the plate aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide an element mounting of thenaturestated in which the spring fingers and apertures cooperate toprovide the sole means for holding the shell and the locking member inassembly.

With the above and other objects in view which Will more fullyappear,`the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood byfollowing the description, the appended claims, and the several viewsillustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a central vertical cross section through anelement mounting embodying the in vention.

' of Figure 1 in bottom and top plan respectively yand removed from themounting plate.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, the locking'ngers beingillustrated as displaced inwardly by contact with the mounting plateduring insertion of the mounting shell into the plate aperture.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the locking member, in bottom plan and sideelevation respectively, and removed from the mounting shell.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the mounting unitl Figure 7 is a detailperspective view illustrating a modied form of locking member.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, 5designates the mounting plate of a traflic or similar sign to which thelight emitting or reflecting units are to be afxed for the purpose ofoutlining the traic warning or other display. This plate may comprisethe sole supporting portion of the sign or it may comprise only the faceplate portion of a hollow box or similar structure. It is to beunderstood also that the invention comprehends the use of glass lensesor other light emitting units, and it is to be understood that thettermlight emitting is meant to embrace any suitable refiecting unit which`will reflect light from a light source before the sign, or any unitwhich will pass light therethrough. The illustrative embodiment of theinvention disclosed herein includes a light emitting element 6which-permits light to pass from the rear face thereof through the bodyof the element and out beyond the front face of the light emittingsurface.

In this particular illustration, the element B is in the nature of areflecting lens provided with a suitable silvered or other reflectingsurface 1. It is to be understood, of course, that instead of treatingthe inner surface of the element 6 as at l, it may be backed by anysuitable reflecting element.

The element 6 is secured on an enlarged seat 8 and within the crimpedretaining iiange 9 of a cylindrical mounting shell Ill. The seat Il4 andflange 9 are so shaped that they form a grooveway between them withinwhich the edge portions of the element 6 are secured, and the enlargedseat portion 8 forms an abutment flange engageable with the mountingplate 5 for limiting insertion of the cylindrical shell I0 through thereceiving aperture II formed in said plate. See Figure 1.

The cylindrical shell I0 is provided with a plurality of equidistantlyspa-ced wall apertures I2, and it will be observed that the upper limitsof these apertures lie substantially flush with the inner face of themounting plate 5 when the units are wholly inserted into said plate inthe ymanner illustrated in the said Figure l. When elements 6 of thelight reecting type are employed,

the shell I0 may include a solid base portion I3.

` A locking member is mounted within the shell I0 and includes a baseplate I4 and a plurality of equidistantly spaced locking fingers I5 eachdisposed in alignment with one of the wall apertures I2. 'Ihe ngers arespringy or yieldable and it will be noted by reference to Figures 1, 4and 6 of the drawing, that these ngers join with the base portion I4 asat I6, the connections at I6 being in the nature of spring hinges uponwhich the fingers i can readily flex inwardly and outwardly.

The body portion of leach nger I5 is disposed within the s' .ell I0 andnormally is substantially parallel to the shell wall. At lts upper end,each nger I5 is bent outwardly as at Il to form a locking lug, andinwardly and downwardly as at I8 to form a cam portion. It will beobserved by reference to Figures 1 and 4 of .the drawing that thelocking lug portions I7 are curved on an arc struck from the springhinge centers i6 and lie just inside the upper limits of the respectivewall apertures I2. By thus curving the lug portions I'l extendingthrough the apertures,they will always engage the shell at the edges ofthe apertures adjacent the end of the shell at which the ange 9 islocated. Consequently the ngers I5 and their lugs Il constitute means,for retain-V ing the assembled relation of the shell i@ and the lockingmemberv Id, I5 without the necessity of providing rivets, solder,brazing, or other securing media.

In mounting one of the light emitting units the end of the cylindricalshell I8 is inserted in an aperture Il in the mounting plate 5. As theshell is slid into the aperture the angularly disposed cam portions I 8of the locking ngers i5 will engage the plate 5 and be displacedinwardly thereby in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. It will beobserved by reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the drawing, that the spacebetween the abutment iiange t and the locking lug portions I'I issubstantially equal to the thickness of the mounting plate E. Thus asthe abutment ange d contacts the outer face of the Vmounting plate 5 thelocking lugs will spring outwardly to the position illustrated in Figureof the drawing and thereby securely lock the elements in position. Thusmounted, the units can be removed only by pressing the locking lugsinwardly to the position illustrated in Figure 4 so that they can passfreely through the plate aperture II.

In Figures 1 through 6 of the drawing the locking member is equippedwith four equidistantly spaced locking ilngers. The invention is notlimited to the provision of any particular number of such ngers, and inFigure 7 of the drawing there is illustrated a modiiied form of lockingmember in which only two locking lingers I 9 project from the baseportion 20.

Itwill be observed by reference to Figure 1 of the drawing that thesurface of the locking lug portion Il is angularly disposed withrelation to the opposed inner face of the mounting plate 5,

*and this angularly disposed surface may serve to of structure andarrangement of parts may be variously changed and modiiled withoutdepartnig from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a lightemitting element at its other end, said shell having wall aperturestherein, and a locking member mounted within said shell and havingyieldable locking ngers provided with body portions located within saidshell and with platecontacting portions projected through said wallapertures and engageable under said plate to prevent withdrawal of theunit from the plate aperture.

2. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a lightemitting element at its other end, said shell having Wall aperturestherein, and a locking member removably mounted within said shell andhaving yieldable locking ngers provided with body portions locatedwithin said shell and with plate-contacting portions projected throughsaid wall apertures and engageable under said plate to preventwithdrawal of the unit from the plate aperture, theplate-contactingportions of said fingers constituting means forretaining assembly of said shell and locking member,

3. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a lightemitting element at its other end, said shell having wall aperturestherein, a locking member mounted within said shell and having yieldablelocking ngers provided with body portions located within said shell andwith plate-,contacting portions projected through said wall aperturesand engageable under said plate to prevent withdrawal of the unit fromthe plate aperture, and means at said other end of said shell forsecurely holding said light emitting element and constituting anabutment limiting movement of the unit into the plate aperture.

4. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a lightemitting element at its other end, said shell having wall aperturestherein, and a locking member mounted within said shell and havingyieldable locking fingers each having a body portion disposed within theshell and normally being substantially parallel to the wall of theshell, each said nger being yieldable and including an outwardly bentlug portion projected through an associated one of said wall aperturesto be engageable with the plate to prevent removal of the unit and aninwardly angled portion presented for ilnger displacing cammingengagement with the plate during mounting of said unit.

5. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying alightemitting element at its other end, said shell having wall aperturestherein, and a locking member removably mounted within said shell andhaving yieldable locking ilngers disposed'within the shell but beingprovided with portions projected respectively through said wallapertures, said projecting portions being engageable under said plate toremove withdrawal of theunit from the plate aperture, said projectingfinger portions also retaining said shell and locking member inassembled relation, said locking member including a base portion andeach locking nger thereof being spring hinge connected with said baseportion and including an outwardly bent lug portion engageable with theplate to prevent removal of the unit and an inwardly angled portionpresented for nger displacing camming engagement with the plate duringmounting of said unit, each said lug portion being curved on an arcstruck from the respective spring hinge connection.

6. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having anelement receiving groove in one end forming an abutment shoulder andinsertable at its other end into an aperture in a mounting plate, saidshell having Wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder adistance equivalent to the thickness of a mounting plate, and a lockingmember mounted in said shell and having yieldable locking ngers movableon said locking member for projection through said wall apertures forengagement under the mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit inthe aperture in said plate, the plate-engaging portions of said iingersbeing spaced from said abutment shoulder a distance substantially equalto the thickness of said plate, whereby said shoulder and theplate-engaging portions of said ngers are together cooperable with saidvplate to hold said unit irmly in' place without apprecialble playaxially oi said mounting plate aperture.

7. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having anelement receiving groove in one end forming an abutment shoulder andinsertable at its other end into an aperture in a mounting plate, saidshell having wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder adistance equivalent to the thickness of the mounting plate, and alocking member mounted in said shell and having yieldable lockinglingers movable on said locking member for projection through -said wallapertures for engagement under the mounting plate to secure mounting ofthe unit in the aperture in -said plate, the portions of said ngersextending through said wall aper-` tures engaging the shell at the edgesof the apertures at the ends thereof adlacent said first end of theshell, whereby outward movement of the locking member in the shell isprevented.

8. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell having anelement receiving groove in one and forming an abutment shoulder andinsertable at its other end into a mounting plate aperture, said shellhaving wall apertures therein spaced from the abutment shoulder adistance equivalent to the thickness of a mounting plate, and a lockingmember mounted in said shell and having locking fingers projectedthrough said wall apertures for engagement under a mounting plate tosecure mounting of the unit in the aperture in said plate, each saidiinger being yieldable and including an outwardly bent lug portionengageable with a mounting plate to prevent removal of the unit and aninwardly angled portion presented for nger displacing camming engagementwith said mounting plate during mounting of said unit.

9. A light emitting element mounting unit Vcomprising a shell having anelement receiving projection through said wall apertures for engagementunder the mounting plate to secure mounting of the unit in the aperturein said plate, the lportions of said fingers extending through said wallapertures engaging the shell at the edges of the apertures at the endsthereof adjacent said first end of the shell, whereby outward movement.of the locking member in the shell is prevented, said locking memberincluding a base portion and each locking iinger thereof being springhinge connected with said base portion and including an outwardly bentlug portion engageable with the plate to prevent removal of the unit andan inwardly angled portion presented for nger displacing cammingengagement with the plate during mounting of said unit, each said lugportion being curved on an arc struck from the respective spring hingeconnection.

10. A light emitting element mounting unit comprising a shell insertableat one end into an aperture in a mounting plate and carrying a lightemitting element at its other end, said shell having Wall aperturestherein, abutment means limiting insertion of the shell into saidaperture, and a locking member mounted within said lshell and havingyieldable locking fingers having body portions disposed within saidshell and projecting portions extending through said wall aperturesandengageable under said plateto prevent withdrawal of the unit from theplate aperture, said projecting portions of said locking ilngers beingangularly disposed with relation to said plate whereby upon outwardprojection of said ngers through said wall apertures said angularlydisposed portions will engage the plate and tend to draw the shell intothe aperture to the extent permitted by said abutment means.

CHARLES M; SLESSMAN.

